JPINFV
Gadfly
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Just curious, being a non-snow person, why don't places use tire chains in situations like this? I know that the mountains constantly require snow chains when it snows.
Anyone Get Stuck in the Snow this Weekend?
- Thread starter EMSLaw
- Start date
For us, it's because they do a lot of damage to clear roads, and hospitals will throw a holy fit if we show up and destroy the pavement in their parking lots. So if we use them, we need to take them off before delivering the patient. Since most majors roads had a lot of clear stretches last night, the time chains take wouldn't have been worth it.
Instead, we responded to most calls accompanied by either a pickup or SUV that could take patients and bring them to the ambulance. We also had a specialized snowmobile thing ready to go, but never actually needed it. Did some hiking around carrying people on backboards, too. And our plow got tons of use.
BLSBoy
makes good girls go bad
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Florida friends, we aren't right now.
Not until I at least thaw out.
Not until I at least thaw out.
redcrossemt
Forum Asst. Chief
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Same as above. They make for a really rough ride, ruin pavement, and you'd have to keep putting them on and taking them off for conditions. They do have some automatic chain systems now, but the price is prohibitive.
My department has one ambulance with it. It's more trouble than it's worth... always breaking, and doesn't actually work all that well when we use it.
Racked up on voluntary OT for the storm. 24 hours on Friday, and another 12 Sat night before my regular shift on Sun. I just stayed at the firehouse I worked on Sat nite rather than go home for the 12 hour interval. 5 hour snooze, 2 hour workout, then I jumped on the bus.
We have on spots (drop chains) on all our units along with Z-cables and chains at the station. We can drive at 35 mph with the on spots, and no more than 30 with the chains.
The on spots don't do jack. The chains are great. You need to check the tension whenever possible so that you don't throw a chain. They work great. Sucks if you have a long txp and can only go 30 mph. I also carry bolt cutters, in case we throw a chain and it gets wrapped around the axle in between the duals and a shovel for the obvious. If you try to rock it with chains on, the spinning will result in a thrown chain. They're difficult to reposition when your hands are numb.
Bunkers plus hood kept me really warm and dry inside, including my feet
We also had brush trucks fitted with plows to help out if we were stuck or needed a clear path.
One unit got stuck in a ditch while enroute to the ED with a CPR. They had to pronounce onscene and then sit for 4 hours with the body in the back waiting for the ME.
My 5 years of driving in NYC during numerous snowstorms, without the benefit of chains really paid off.
We have on spots (drop chains) on all our units along with Z-cables and chains at the station. We can drive at 35 mph with the on spots, and no more than 30 with the chains.
The on spots don't do jack. The chains are great. You need to check the tension whenever possible so that you don't throw a chain. They work great. Sucks if you have a long txp and can only go 30 mph. I also carry bolt cutters, in case we throw a chain and it gets wrapped around the axle in between the duals and a shovel for the obvious. If you try to rock it with chains on, the spinning will result in a thrown chain. They're difficult to reposition when your hands are numb.
Bunkers plus hood kept me really warm and dry inside, including my feet
We also had brush trucks fitted with plows to help out if we were stuck or needed a clear path.
One unit got stuck in a ditch while enroute to the ED with a CPR. They had to pronounce onscene and then sit for 4 hours with the body in the back waiting for the ME.
My 5 years of driving in NYC during numerous snowstorms, without the benefit of chains really paid off.
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Bunkers plus hood kept me really warm and dry inside, including my feet
You suck.
I was in turnout gear the whole shift too, but somehow got snow down a boot on one call, and spent the rest of a few shifts with one frozen foot.You suck.
I'm guessing that either you're dealing with chest high snow or your pant leg hiked up and you got snow inside. Most of us carry a cold weather pack consisting of extra underwear, several pairs of socks, t-shirts and an extra hood. We're also fortunate to be issued 2 sets of gear.
On numerous occasions during this storm I've overheard the engine crew advising the txp unit to stage on the street corner and that they'll walk the pt out (or by reeves). The rationale is twofold - first, the cot has a good chance of flipping during the trip back to the medic, and the medic can't get stuck if they don't go down the street.
If they're legitimately sick (you know what I mean by that) then the unit would naturally park IFO the location. The 22y/o drunk girl, neg PMHx (six or seven drinks or whatever and her boyfriend decided she needed to go to the hosp in a blizzard for some reason, I'll take your man card, thank you) with vomiting x 1 and no complaints during assessment (inc BGL, 12 lead by female partner) that we walked down the slippery stairs with assistance would not be an example of a legitimately sick person. We could walk her down, or do the stair chair and run the real risk of slipping with all of us falling down the stairs.
If they're legitimately sick (you know what I mean by that) then the unit would naturally park IFO the location. The 22y/o drunk girl, neg PMHx (six or seven drinks or whatever and her boyfriend decided she needed to go to the hosp in a blizzard for some reason, I'll take your man card, thank you) with vomiting x 1 and no complaints during assessment (inc BGL, 12 lead by female partner) that we walked down the slippery stairs with assistance would not be an example of a legitimately sick person. We could walk her down, or do the stair chair and run the real risk of slipping with all of us falling down the stairs.
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No snow here... the last time I drove in any appreciable snow, my old '88 F250 took it all in stride. I simply had to put it in 4H and keep going... One area, to limit wheelspin, I put it in 4L and pretty much idled my way down the street through about 18" deep snow. I never did have problems skidding around.
Now then, give me a snow machine...
Now then, give me a snow machine...
Probably leg hiked up--I'm not really sure, except that it happened when we were trying to get out of a ditch where some snow had drifted pretty deep. Then we got nonstop calls for the next several hours. By the time I could get an extra sock, it had all melted and completely soaked the inside of my boot, so the moisture seeped back in pretty quickly. Next time I'm getting creative with saran wrap or something.
We used the reeves lots, and had patients walk where possible. Also had our fair share of really annoying calls. Seriously, couldn't you have called us for that dizzy spell eight hours ago when it actually happened, before it started snowing?